Signs of the holiday season have begun to sprout around the Central Coast as the distinctive collection boxes for Toys for Tots now sit in stores and businesses.

And the fourth annual Toys for Tots Motorcycle Run on Saturday in Santa Maria helped boost donations for the 2007 campaign.

This year's toy drive began even before Halloween as volunteers delivering donation boxes to dozens of locations in the Santa Maria Valley.

“We know we're going to have more children but we started earlier so we're hoping that since we started so early, that's gong to give us a good jump start,” said Santa Maria coordinator Anita Pomerantz from Volt Services Group.

An earlier start should help toward collection of the thousands of toys so they don't run short, she added.

“We feel a little more secure this year than previous years,” she said. “We're all excited. It's going to be wonderful,” she said.

A dedicated group of volunteers began meeting in August to map out battle plans for the 2007 campaign.

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“I just want to be ready,” Pomerantz said.

Volunteers seek donations of new unwrapped toys worth at least $10 for children up to 12 years old. For sanitary reasons, organizers ask that people not donate stuffed animals.

Saturday, motorcyclists donated toys to take part in an approximately 65-mile ride that began and ended at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Maria. The route took participants to Guadalupe, Grover Beach, Avila Beach and Arroyo Grande. Dozens of riders also savored a barbecue, raffle drawing and music.

Similar Toys for Tot campaigns have started in Lompoc Valley, Nipomo and Five Cities.

Toys remain in the communities where they were gathered. Recipients are pre-screened by various social service organizations, such as Healthy Start in Santa Maria.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program started in 1947, but locally is spearheaded by community members and former Marines. In 2006, the Central Coast effort collected some 45,470 toys for the region between Paso Robles and Lompoc. That number has climbed since the 11,820 toys gathered in 2000.

Toys must be donated by the week of Dec. 10.

Among drop-off locations are the Santa Maria Times, 3200 Skyway Drive; CoastHills Federal Credit Union branches; Rabobank branches; and Santa Maria Police Department, 222 E. Cook St.

For the full listing of locations, visit www.toys4totscentralca.org and click on Santa Maria.

Other events are also planned to collect toys while raising money and awareness in the next few weeks.

n At the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, a special Country Christmas Concert featuring headliner Terri Clark and others, is planned for Dec. 8. Tickets are typically available through country music stations, such as Sunny Country and KJUG, or the casino.

“It should be a really good concert,” Pomerantz added.

n Also Dec. 8, wine tasting and art at the David Ryan Gallery in Old Town Orcutt will benefit Toys for Tots. The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and coincides with the Orcutt Christmas Parade, which kicks off at 1 p.m.

n At Vandenberg Air Force Base, Indyne and ITT employees will join forces Nov. 30 for a barbecue that will benefit Toys for Tots.

n Also, a Dec. 6 Bulldogs women's basketball tournament will also assist Toys for Tots with prizes to be given away to people who donate a toy.

Janene Scully can be reached at 739-2214 or janscully@santamariatimes.com.

November 11, 2007